1981 Ford Escort XR3 | Colchester, Essex

A 1981 Ford Escort XR3, the sporting version of the front-wheel-drive Mk3 Escort. It arrived in 1980 with a carburetted 1.6-litre engine and joined the early-1980s hot-hatch boom as a down-to-earth rival to the Golf GTI. Plenty of people still remember it fondly. This car is black with a black interior, a dark, uncluttered scheme that lets the Escort's squared-off hatchback lines do the talking. It seats five, with a body that sits naturally in everyday 1980s street scenes. That suits period film and TV, music videos, photography and advertising work that needs a familiar car with a sporting edge. For a wedding or a personal hire, it brings a black 1980s hot hatch with plenty of character. The car is based in Colchester, Essex.